Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

FRIDAY, 30 AUGUST 1878

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

1272 Supply. [A.SS:E:MBLY.] Port lJou!J.las Road.

LEG ISLA.TIVE ASSEMBLY. Friday, 30 August, 1878.

Acting Chairman of Committees.-Port Douglas Road.­Road between Tallebudgera,andNew South Wales.­Roma and Mitchell Water·supply.- Beauaraba Road.-Road from Emerald Downs to Clermont.­Gratnity to Mrs. Tregarthen.-JI1ary·borough Gas and Coke Comllany's llill.-Gratuity to Mrs. Mur­ray.-Water StorHge iu 'Vestern ·District.-Main Road at Mack!.'y.-Civil Service Bill.-SU!lply.

The SPEAKER took the ~hair at half-past ten o'clock.

ACTING CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. On the motion of the PREJI1IER (Mr.

Douglas), Mr. John Scott was appointed Acting Chairman of Committees for this day.

PORT DOUGLAS ROAD.

On the motion of Mr. lY.Ltclol.ossAN, the House resolved itself into committee to .consider of an Address to the Governor relative to the road .acro~s the Granite Range and other works in the .J;leighbour­hood of Port Douglas.

Mr. MACROSSAN moved--·That an Address.be presentecl.to the,GovernQl"

praying that His Excellency will be pleased to

Po1•t lJouglas Roarl. [30 AuGusT.] Roarl-Emerald lJowns, Eto. 1213

cause to be placed on the next Supplementary :Estimates, the sum of £1,500 to be expended on the road across the Granite Range, and other ne~cssary works in the neighbourhood of Port Douglas.

The PREMIER said he would take this opportunity of giving the House some in­formation in a matt~r connected with the Cook district, and the Northern districts generally, which was of some importance. He· had this morning received from the Mayor of Cooktown the following tele­gram:-

" Cooktown, 29 August, 1878. "I ha-ve the honour to forw,,rd you the fol­

lowing resolutions passed at a public meeting held here last night:-

"First resolution,-" That, in t.he opinion of this meeting, it is of

vital importance that the people of Cooktown should publicly deny the trutl1 of the assertions contained in a telegram appeared in the Bris­bane Courier of the 12th instant.

" Second resolution,-" That truth and justice to the people of this

district demands that this meeting should de­nounce the M ntement 'That the new rush is not fit for Emo].eans, but for Chinese only' is most disgrace~ctl misrepresentation <Jver put forth; t.hat this meeting also denies the right of any person or persons to petition the Government in the name of the public, without first submit­ting the said petition for the approval o£ the public in public meeting assembled ; and that this meeting cordially approves of the present Government's Chinese legislation.

" Third resolution,-" That this meeting condemns in tl1e strongest

terms the action taken by the pro-Chinese party in reference to the abolishment of the £10 poll­tax on Chinese, an action taken upon them­selves without the voice of the public, and which, if carried, mearis utter ruin to the clis­trict.

"Fourth 1·esolr' ion,-" That the leading article in the Brisbane

Courier of August 12th with reference to Chinese poll-tax is fully endorsed by this meet-in g.

"s. SA.MPER." Mr. THOMPSON said, perhaps he had no

right to criticise the action of the leader of the House, but he thought it would be far better i£ he had made a Ministerial state­ment instead of breaking the rules of the House by introducing matter foreign to the srrbject under discussion.

lVlr. WALSH thought the honourable gentleman, having read the document, should lay it on the table. Honourable members might then criticise it.

Question put and pass!ld.

J\fr. MACROSSAN, in moving that the Chairman leave the chair, and report to the HouRe that the committee had come to a resolution, said, in reference to the tele­gram read by the Premier, he might state that he had received telegram~ on the same

subject, but knowing that the Government did not intend to take any action in the matter, he thought it would be useless to speak of it in the House or anywhere else. There was no pro-Chinese party in that House.

Question put and passed, and, the House having resumed, the resolution was re­ported, and the report was ordered to be received on Thursday next.

ROAD BETWEEN TALLEBUDGERA AND NEW SOUTH WALES.

On the motion of Mr. McLEAN, the House resolved itself into committee, and the following resolution was adopted:-

That an Address be presented to the Gover­nor, praying tl1at His Excellency will b.e pleased to cause to be placed upon the Supplementary Estimates, the 3UID {)f three hundred pounds (£300) for the purpose of putting the road between Tallebudgera and the Border of New South Wales in a passable state of repair.

The House having resumed, the resolu­tion was reported, and the report ordered to be received on Thursday next.

ROMA AND MITCHELL WATER­SUPPLY.

On the motion of Mr. W ALSH, the House went into committee, and the following resolution was adopted,-

That an Acldress be prcsentecl to the Gover­nor, praying that His Excellency will be ploosed to cause to be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, £1,000 for water-supply, Roma and Mitchell.

The House having resunied, the resolu­tion was reported, and the report ordered to be received on Thursday next.

BEAUARABA ROAD.

On the motion of Mr. PERKINS, the House went into committee, and the following resolution was adopted:-

That an Address be presented to the Gov­m·nor, praying that His Excellency will be pleased to cause to be placed on the Supple­mentary Estimates, the rum of £2,000 for making a road from Beauaraba to 'l'oowoomba, West brook Nos. 1 and 2 Homestead Areas.

The House having resumed, the resolu­tion was reported, and the report ordered to be received on Thur$day next.

ROAD FROM EMERALD DOWNS TO CLERMONT.

On the motion of Mr. STEVENSON, the House went into committee, and the follow­ing resolution was adopted :-

That an Address be presented to the Gover~ nor, praying that His Excellency will be :pleased to cause to be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, the sum of £1,500 for the purpose'

1274 Water Storage, Etc. [ASSEMBLY.] Main Road at Macka!).

of opening and forming a road between Eme­rald Downs, or some more convenient point on the central railway line, and Clermont.

The House having resumed, the resolu­tion was reported, and the report ordered to be received on Thursday next.

GRATUITY TO MRS. TREGARTHEN.

On the motion of Mr. McLEAN, the Rouse went into committee, to consider of an Address to the Governor, relative to a gratuity to Mrs. Tregarthen.

Mr. McLEAN, in moving-That an Address be presented to the Governor,

praying that His Excelleney will be pleased to cause to be placed upon Lhe Supplementary Estimates the sum of £100, as a gratuity to the widow of Daniel Tregarthen, who los~ his life through accident while engaged at work on board the Government Dredge " Groper,"-

said it was well known to the House that he was always opposed to pensions, and evfn to gratuities in some cases ; but, ha¥ing had the circumstances of this case brought vividly before him, he could not help feeling an amount of sympathy in con­nection with it. This man lost his life through an accident on board the Govern­ment dredge" Groper," and he thought he was quite justified in voting for the motion under the circumstances of the case.

Question put and passed, and, the House having resumed, the resolution was re· parted, and the report was ordered to be received on Thursday next.

MARYBOROUGH GAS AND COKE COJ\1-PANY'S BILL.

On the motion of the Pim~nER, the House went into committee to consider this Bill in detail.

All the clauses, 1 to 39 inclusive, and the preamble were passed as printed, and the CHAIRMAN reported the Bill to the House without amendment.

The third reading of the Bill was made an order of the day for Tuesday next.

GRATUI'l'Y TO MRS. MURRAY.

On the motion of Mr. PERKINS, the report from the Committee of the Whole with regard to a gratuity of £100 to the widow o£ the late John Murray, engineer-sur­veyor, was adopted.

W .A.TER STORAGE IN WESTERN DIS­TRICT.

Mr. MoREHEAD said that, before moving the following motion standing in his name,-

That this House will, .at its next sitting, resolve itself into a Committee of the ·whole, to consider an Address to the Govemor, pray­ing that His Excellency will be pleased to cause to be placed upon the Supplementary Estimates for 1878-9, the sum of £5,000 for the

purpose of Water Storage on the Main Roads in the Mitchell and North and South Gregory Districts,-

he wished to say that since coming to the House this morning he had been informed on good authority that the Government had purchased, or were intending to purchase, a number of diamond rock drills, on.e of which, no doubt, the Minister for vV orks would set apart for boring for water in the west and north-west of the colony. If the Minister for Works would give an assurance that such was the case, he would not pro­ceed further with the motion.

The MINISTER FOR WORKS (Mr. Miles) said the Government had not as yet purchased any diamond rock drills, but he had reques­ted his honourable colleague, the Colonial Treasurer, to place a sum on the Supple­mentary Estimates for that purpose, as he did not think it right to purchase them without the sanction of the House. He believed these drills would be of immense benefit to the colony in boring for water, especially in the western districts, and would be the means of saving hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mr. MoREHEAD said he was quite satis· fied with the promi~e of the honourable gentleman, and would proceed no further with his motion.

MAIN ROAD AT MACKAY.

~fr. BEoR, in moving-That this House will, at its next sitting, re­

solve itself into a Committee of the Whole, to consider of an Address to the Governor, pray· ing that His Excellency will be pleased to cause to be placed on the next Supplementary Estimates, the sum of £3,000 for the purpose of repairing that portion of the main road between N ebo and the Pioneer Ri¥er, which lies nearest to the Mackay wharves,-

said that not very long ago he brought for­ward a motion not very different from this. On that occasion he asked for money for the purpose of repairing roads within the municipality of Mackay, one of which roads was a portion of the road which he now asked for money for the purpose of repairing. He withdrew that motion for sundry reasons. The House did not seem inclined to go vt'ith him in the belief he had formed as to the urgent necessity of that grant, and the right of the munici­pality to ask for it; and seemed to be im­pressed by an argument adduced by the Colonial 'l'reasurer, which was, to a great extent, misleading and erroneous-unin­tentionally misleading and erroneous. \Vithout going over all the old ground, he would content himself by saying that the fact existed-which the Colonial Trea­surer, he believed, would not have the effrontery to deny-that the wharfages at Mackay were wholly, or almost wholly un­productive to the municipality. As he

Maid Road at Mackay. [30 AUGUST.] Main Roarl at Mackay. 1275

had previously stated; the municipality last year derived from them the sum of £5, and he had since been informed that even that amount was a merely adventitious £5. O~her coast towns, which had been formed into municipalities, derived a con­siderable income from the whar£ages, but before Mackay was formed into a munici­pality all the river frontage, except the ends of thlil streets, were alienated, and the money produced by that alienation went into the Consolidated Revenue in­stead of remaining as a kind of capital for the municipality to which it would otherwise have belonged. There was an unusually large amount of traffic, consider­ing the small number of inhabitants, passing over this road from the neighbouring districts to the wharves, for shipment south, from which the municipality derived no revenue. That was a very strong reason for giving the municipality of Mackay the assistance now asked for. The road was of such a· nature that it required a large expenditure to keep it constantly in repair, on account of the heavy drays which passe.d over it, and cut it up ; but if it were once properly formed, the expense of keep­ing it in repair would be small, as com­pared with the amount now annually required for that purpose. He would also point out that the traffic wh:ch passed over this road was beneficial, not to the treasury of the municipality of Mackay, but to the general revenue of the colony, because Customs duties were paid on the supplies for the plantations, from which the municipality itself derived no advantage. Then, again, new copper mines had lately been opened, and there was every likelihood that a large amount of ore would be constantly coming along this road to the port of Mackay for shipment, and from which the municipality of Mackay would derive no benefit. It seemed hard that a small municipality should be called upon to provide means of access to the port for large and flourishing copper mines, as well as for the artieles of commerce to which he

. had already referred as being produced in the immediate neighbourhood.

The CoLO:l<IAL TREASURER (Mr. Dickson) said he had understood that this matter had been satisfactorily adjusted by his promise ·that, on application being made, the municipality of Mackay would re­ceive a loan of £2,000 in add1tion to their previous loan, which was of a v.ery large character. All that the hon­ourable member had stated to-day only tended to confirm the inadvisability of giving pecuniary assistance o:f the kind asked for. 'l'he honourable member had not adduced a single fresh argument which wouldjusti:fy the representatives ofthepeo­plt>inspPnding money gratuitously within a municipality, when that municipality had had given to it within the last two years a

perpetual endowment from the State. He still had the effrontery, as the honourable member termed it, to maintain that a muni­cipality had no right to make applic!ttions of this character, especially in cases where the wharfages, whatever they might be, large or small, accrued to the revenue of the municipality. If the honourable mem­ber lrad shown that there was any wharfage revenue coming into the general revenue, a good case might have been made out, but nothing of the kind 'had been attempted ; and he (the Colonial Treasurer) still repeated that the Mackay municipali~y had the power to enforce wharfage, and did enforce it and collect it at the ends of five streets, on which an expenditure of over £12,000 had been made by the State for the protection of the river embankments; as well as at the wharf built by the Gov­ernment at the end of Brisbane street. He failed to see that he had made a single mis-statement in connection with this matter, and all he had said upon it he would repeat deliberately. Had he made an error, he would have been the first to acknowledge it; but such, he believed, was not the case. I:f this money was voted, the House would be equally entitled to vote a sum for the repair of CharlotLe street in Townsville, along which a very large traffic from Charters Towers and the interior went to thew harves_._a larger traffic than anything that was likely to go through the streets of Mackay. On the same principle, Charlotte s~reet, Cooktown, ought to be maintained out of the general revenue. But all these municipalities had lately got a perpetual endowment granted to them, and by the Local Government Bill they could obtain Loans from the Government ba~ed upon five years' estimates of revenue derivable from rates and subsidised by the Govern­ment. The honourable member said the municipality derived no benefit :from wharfages on private wharves ; but the as­sessments on tho'e properties for municipal rates must have largely increased in amount, and if the whar£ages did not directly come into the municipal treasury, the wharfage property belonging to private owners had increased considerably in value :for pur­poses of municipal assessment, and from that assessment they got pound for pound from the general revenue. I:f this motion was carried, the honourable member would understand that he (the Colonial Trea­surer) was absolved from the promise he gave with regard to the additional loan of £2,000.

Mr. TYREL said that, before voting on this question, he wished to be informed what was meant by the words "that por­tion of thtJ main road which lies nearest to the Maekay wharves." Did the honour­able member mean the last inch? If he did, it would take a long time to spend £3,000 upon it. It was a most extra-

1276 Main Road at Maekay. [ASSEMBLY.) ]J!'ain Road at Maekay.

ordinary way of putting a motion on the paper. If the money was intended to be spent on a mile or so of the road, he might feel inclined to vote for the motion, but if within a very small portion of the munici­pality, he should certainly object to it.

Mr. BAILEY said it seemed that, if the motion were carried, it would create a precedent which had always been resisted hitherto. 'l'he House had always opposed the claims of municipalities for votes of this kind. In the case of Mary borough, a somewhat similar vote had not been granted, although it was much more re­quired. It was for a road leading into the country, and, though within the munici­pality, which was an exceptionally large one, was far away from the town itself; yet the vote had been refused.

Mr. MciLWRAI1'H begged to correct the honourable ·member. The money was granted and spent, and was the cause of a debate in the·House, for it revealed a state of things which he had never known before. viz., that whilst the Government constructed and kept the road in repair the munici­pality derived the tolls from it.

Mr. BAILEY : I was speaking of the Salt­water Creek road. ·

Mr. MclLwRAITH said he was allud­ing to the Gayndah road. With respect to the motion before thj House, the Colonial Treasurer had not met it fairly. \Vhen the honourable member for Bowen introduced the motion on a previous occasion, and based it on the ground that the muni­cipality o£ Mackay had not been fairly treated, inasmuch as the best property had been sold before it was incorporated, the Colonial Treasurer led honourable members to understand that there were large emoluments accruing to the munici­pality for wharfage dues. Now, however, he admitted-at all events he did not deny the statement-that the receipts were under £5, aml his argument consequently fell to the ground. Seeing that his argument was fallacious, he now objected to the motion on different grounds, thus showing the weakness of the position he was taking up. Indeed it was so weak that he (Mr. Mcll­wraith) did not think the honourable gentle­man'.s arguments of to-day were worth an­swermg.

The . PREMIER said that, as Mary­borough had been referred to, he would wish to state once more that the case alluded to was an exceptional one. The Maryborough municipality was the ~argest in the colony-it was much too large, in fact. The Saltwater Creek road was some miles beyond the actual town, being as far from the centre of the town as Kedron Brook was ftom the centre of .Brisbane. If the Brisban.e municipality extended as far as Kedron Brook, tlie cases would be .parall~Jl~ with this diffe:reJ:>Ce; that in th~

suburbs of Matyborough the population was comparatively small. Probably it was from want of foresight that the road in question was originally included, but it was nevertheless a fact that the case was entirely different from all other munici­palities, owing to the fact that both the Saltwater Creek and Gayndah roads were some miles from the centre of the town.

Ur. BEOR said he was amused when the P.remier mentioned the circumstances which made the municipality of Maryborough an exceptional case. Did the honourable gen­tleman mean to say that unless a muniei­pality wa.s of an ext.ravagant size, it shoulcl get no such grant as he was asking for the repair of the main roads running through itP He (Mr. Beor) maintained that the exceptional circumstances in this case, although of a different character, wPre quite as strong as those mentioned with regard to Maryborough. The Colonial Treasurer had reiterated the old argument, and it had been taken up by the honour­able member for Wide Bay on false pre­mises, it seemed to him, for the munici­pality of Maryborough did get a similar grant, and a very large one.

The PREMIER : £600. Mr. BEoR said it was a very large one

at the time, considering the difference in the finances o£ the colony, and that Mary­borough was then a much smaller town. Honourable members were told that the motion ought not to be pressed, because the Ministry had always adopted the prin­ciple o£ not granting aid of this kind to municipalities. Many honourable members had been impressed by that argument, but if the Ministry ever did honestly adopt such a principle, the proceedings of last week furnished proofs that . it had been abandoned by them. The Colonial Trea­sm•er had alluded to the large loan Mackay had received, but he dicl not know that it was out of proportion to loans granted to other municipalities. The honourable gen­tleman had also said that rates must be collected from the private wharves. That was sel£-evident; but how could rates upon• private wharves compensate for the aliena­tion of the wha!'l'es themselves P As to the honourable gentleman's other state­ment, that the municipality had collected wharfages from the ends of a number of streets, he (Mr. Beor) had already stated that the total amount was only £5. He quite believed, with the lead.er of the Opposition, that there was not much to answer in the honourable gentleman's arguments, and he would not therefore take up the time of the House any longer.

The MINISTER FOR vVoRKS said he would not call for a division at the present time, but in committee he should oppoRe the motion .

Question put and passeq.

SuppllJ. [30 AUGUST.] Supplff• 1277

CIVID SERVICE BILL. The CoLdNrAL TREAsuRER moved-That this House will, at its next sitting, re­

solve itself into a Committee of the Whole, to consider the desiNtbleness of introducing a Bill to provide for the better 1'egulation of the Oi vil Service; as recommended by His Excellency's message of 29th August.

QuEJstion put and passed.

SUPPLY. The House 'Went into Committee of

Supply: On the motion of the CoLONIAL TREA­

SURER, a sum of £4,945 was granted for salaries, Postmaster-General's department.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER moved that a sum of £14,583 be granted for the post oilipes of Brisbane, Ipswich, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Maryborough, Bowen, Gym­pie, Townsville, Dalby, Warwick, Stan­thorpe, Cooktown, Mackay, Roma, and Bundaberg. For the Brisbanic> post-office there were three additional clerks-one at £125, ahd two at £100 each-whO were previously paid out of extra clerical assistance. There were ti'I'O additional stampers and sorters at £100 each, and four more letter-carriers at £110 each, who were required for the more expeditious delivery of letters and to increase the deliveries from twu to three times. There was a.!so an additional mailman at £ll0, who had to attend to the mails despatched by railway. Formerly this service was performed by c'Ontract, but it had been found, since the contract had terminated; that it could be done better by the office, and an officer was re" qnired specially for it. For Jpswich, there was no alteration. For. Rockhampton, there was an increase set down for the cl:erical assistant, whose salary was raised to £100. For Toowoomba, there was no alteration. For Maryborough, the amount for clerical assistance was raised to £120, to provide for an assistant having a, know" ledge of German. Bowen, Gympie, Towns­ville, Dal'by, W arwic.k, and Stauthorpe re­mairred without alteration. Cooktown was l'educed by £100, as shown in the foot­note-" previously allowed £800 in lieu of quarters now provided." For Cairns, the salary of · all official postmaster and assistaht was omitted. The salary for an unofficial postmaster would be paid out of 'the vote for country postmas­ters. The post office at this place would be amalgamated with the telegraph office wlren the line from Thornborough was completed. Mackay, .Roma, an:d Bunda• berg were not altered.

Mr. MAcFARLAN.E (Rockhampton) said the chief clerk"assl.stant at Rockhampton, whose salary was set ~own !J,t £1'68, was a most effici.;nt officer, who had much work ~o do in eown'ection with tht) Sll-vings bank

branch. His hours were very long, he having often to be at the office from 6 o'clock a.m. until 10 o'clock p.m.; and he had also to work on Sundays. He had been twelve years in the service, and his salary of £168 was miserably inadequate. The Colonial Treasurer should promise to put an amount on the Supplementary Esti-• mates, so as to raise his salary to £200. If the officer could not get this amount, he (Mr. Mac.farlane) should certainly advise him to leave tl-e service, for he could do better by going .nto a private office. Then, as to the clerical assistant, whose salary had 'been raised to £100, he would ask how could the man be expected to live on and keep up a decent appearance on a salary whir-h was less than was earned by a labourer?

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said he could not overlook the fact that there were other officers in the service equally meritorious who were receiving possibly lower salaries. At Toowoomba, the clerical assistant only got £150. At Townsville, he received the same as at Rockhampton ; and at other places, £150 seemed to be the rule. He had not a word to say against the merit of the officer at Rockhampton ; but at the same time it had been laid clown as a rule that the present was not a time for in­creases of salaries. This officer's claim for an increase could not be granted unless they were prepared to comider the claims of all other officers. He should certainly represent the matter to his colleague, the Postmaster-General, but could not promise that the amount would be placed on the Supplementary Estimates.

Mr. STEVENSON said he could speak as to the efficiency of the chief clerk-assis­tant at Rockhampton. The rea~on giveR by the Colonial Treasurer against the increase was not a sound one, for many had been granted this year that were not required so much. The clerk at l~ock­hampton 'was a thoroughly ,efficient officer and had a great deal to do, and it was ridiculous that he should be kept at such a small salary. The honourable member fot• Rockhampton might well have asked for an• increase to £250 for him.

Mr. KING said he had been reqnested by persons at Maryboro'agh to call attention to the fact that the clerical assistant in the post office there received a lower salary than the officer at Rockhampton. This gentleman was, he bclieYed, a very' old servant and had an amount of work to do equal to the Rockhampton officer. In fai:·t it would appear from the Estimates that there was a larger amount .of work to do at the Maryborough office than at Rock­hampton, for a larger sum was askeci for -extra clerical ·assistance. He trusted the Colonial Treasurer would represent the daims of the Maryborough officer to the Postll!ll-ster-Gell-eral.

1278 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

Mr. IvoRY said he should like to draw the Colonial Treasurer's attention to the requirements of the settlers on Barambah and in the neighbourhood of Bonara in his electorate. Three mails from Brisbane arrived at N anango every week, but further on towards Gayndah there was only a

·weekly mail. Gayndah itself had virtually bi-weekly postal communication with the metropolis, one .route being Di a Dalby. The settlers to whom he had referred had only a weekly mail, however. He would suggest that some postal line should be es­tablished either to Gayndah, or, as it ap­peared to him more advantageous, from N anango to Kilkivan, so that these men might be put in bi-weekly communication with the metropolis. A large lot of land had recently been taken up in the localities he had named, and the settlers were agitat­ing for better postal communication.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said he was informed that no representation had been made to the department on the matter men­tioned bv the honourable member for the Burnett, 'but if he or any other person in­terestPd would forward one to the depart­mentit would receive attention and be carried out as far as practicable. With respect to the matter spoken of by the honourable member for Ravenswood, he was informed that the clerical assistants were treated as a class, and received a certain amount of rc>muneration so long as they remained in that position. The Rockhampton officer got a small increase three years ago, which was the reason why he received a larger salary than the Maryborough officer. He believed it was the intention of the Post­master-General to endeavour to make pro­vision for the granting of a moderate in­crease to the older clerical assistants in his department. He should certainly call his colleague's attention to these two matters.

Mr. BEoR said he wished to draw atten­tion to the trifling amount o-f salary the postmaster at. Mackay received, and the small amount allowed for clerical assist­ance. He was informed that the post­master had been fourteen years in the service. If honourable members would look down the Hstimates, they would see that at Dalby the postmastt>r received £300, and the clerical assistant £1~0 : at War­wick the amounts were £~75 and £1~5 respectively ; and at Stanthor:p!', £250 and £40. In fact at every one of the towns menlioned in that page of the Estimates, excepting Bundaberg, greater salaries were allowed than at Mackay, although none weremuchlarger places; some were, indeed, not so large. The postmaster at Mackay, he might statP, received four years ago an addition of £20 to his salary for long service. He was told that the ·work at the Mackay office had incrt>ased enormously since 1874. In 1875, the money orders issued were of the value of £2,400,

and in 1877, £3,800; and the deposits rose from £3,474, in 1875, to £5,700, in 1877. Why on earth was the allowance for clerical assistance no more than half the amount for any other place except Stan­thorpe? It was positively unaccountable that this gentleman should be treated in such a way. The committee would re­member that some time ago the salaries of nearly all the postmasters were raised, but this gentleman was then left out in the cold. The position he occupied was a most onerous one, as the mails came in at all hours of the day and night, and he had to sit up and attend to the duties with such clerical assistance as he could get for £25 a-year. On account of the amount of work alone, he was entitled to a larger salary.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said the hon· ourable member had made a very lgng speech, and seemed to know more aliout the matter than the department itself. The department did not consider the gentleman in question had any claim to additional re­muneration. He had within the last two years been put into a comfortable house of a class superior to those in other coast towns ; and he received a salary of £220, £25 for clerical assistance which was per­formed by a member of his own family, and £25 from the savings bank. The de­partment did not consider the duties were so extremely onerous, as stated by the hon­ourable member for Bowen, and were not likely to deal with the matter specially.

Mr. STEVENSON said the present was a fitting opportunity to suggest the desirable­ness of opening up mail communication with Burke Town and N ormanton. It was well known that a large extent of country had been taken up in that direction and that there were a large number of settlers on the Albert River. At the present time it was almost impossible to communicate with them, as it sometimes took seven or eight weeks to get a reply to a letter. He thought the Gov­ernment could very well afford to offer a subsidy to induce the Australasian Steam Navigation Company to put on a steamer to run regularly round. He would further point out that the port of N ormanton was only about 300 miles from Thursday Island, where the mail steamer already called, so that it would be very easy to establish mail communicatior.. from there. He believed a private firm were about to lay on a steamer between N ormanton and Burke Town and perhaps a small subsidy would induce them to run to Thursday Island.

The PREMIER said he was inclined to agree with the honourable member that it would be very desirable to have a line of communication from Thursday Island to the Gulf, and no doubt it could be done without any very considerable outlay. The honourable member, he was aware, had already represented the matter to the

Supply. [30 AUGUST.] 1279

Postmaster-General, who, he knew, was favourably disposed towards it.

Mr. MACFARLANE (Rorkhampton) said the Australasian Steam Navigation Com­pany were also giving the matter consider­ation, and, if a small subsidy were granted to them, would no doubt be prepared to establish communication. Tlu• country in that district was all being taken up, and was well fitted for sheep. I£ brought into communication with other ports, the district would reimburse the Government for any outlay that might be neces~ary in rents and other contributions to revenue.

Mr. BEoR was sorry to notice the per­sistent determination to treat the post­master at Mackay with injustice. With regard to what the Colonial Treasurer had said about the length of his statement, he ventured to say he would make his state­ment as long or as short as he pleased ; and he would baPk himself to say as much in ten minutes as the Colonial Treasurer would in half-an-hour, because, when he spoke, he spoke something like English, and not a mixed mongrel language that nobody could understand.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said he did not wish to take up the time of the com­mittee. There was no intention on the part of the department to do any injustice to the postmaster at Mackay, and the accusation which had been made was un­justifiable.

Question put and passed. The CoLONIAL TREASURER moved that

the sum of £91,110 be granted for contin­gencies, subdivision. He said the aggregate remuneration of the country postmasters had been increased from £3,700 to £4,500, in consequence of additional post offices and some small increases of salary. The item for the conveyance of inland mails was increased, as compared with 1877-8, in consequence partly of additional coach services-from Blackall to Tambo, and from Copperfield to Aramac-having been estab­lished since the last Estimates were passed. The item for mail-bags, uniforms, forage, lighting, rent of country post offices, and other incidental expenses, showed also an increase, resulting from extension of other items.

Question put and passed. The CoLONIAL TREASURER moved that

the sum of £400 be granted under the head of miscellaneous. He would mention in connection with the purchase of instru­ments that £100 was asked for in addition to the amount voted last year, and it was intended to provide instruments to eighty­three stations, as followed : .Nine first-class stations, recording the following instru­ments three times daily-Barometer, maxi­mum and minimum shade thermometer, hygrometer, solar radiation, thermometers with bulb in vacuo and exposed, minimum grass thermometer, rain-gauge and wind-

1878-4 Q

vane. Eighteen second-class stations re­cording daily-maximum and minimum shade thermometers, rain-gauge and wind­vane. Fi£ty-six third-class stations, re­cording daily-rain-gauge and wind-vane.

Mr. IvoRY said the telegraph master at Gayndah was a man of superior attain­ments and nothing interested him more than matters of this kind. He had asked him (Mr. Ivory) to use what endeavour he could to get a complete set of instruments :for that station, and he hoped therefore that this would be one of the principal stations.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said Gayndah was one of the first-class stations.

Question put and passed. The CoLONIAL TREASURER moved that

the sum of £4,465 be granted for the chief office, Electric Telegraph department.

Mr. MoREHEAD would take the opportu­nity to repeat the complaint he had made over and over again as to the way in which the department was conducted. It must be apparent to any honourable mem­ber that the irregularities which had occurred in the delivery of messages indi­cated very bad management. No doubt a great deal of what he complained of was due to the miserably small salaries which the station masters were paid. This was the most confidential branch of the service, and yet the most underpaid. They ex­pected to get special ability and integrity for the miserable pittances which they were asked year after year to pay to the officers of the department. He would also suggest that it would be a very proper thing for the Superintendent to be made a subordinate to the Post-office department, as, whenever the Postmaster-General was away, it was impossible to get a satisfactory explanation of any complaint that might be made. When a deputation, of which the honourable member for the W arrego was a member, recently waited on the Premier, the head o£ the Telegraph department was directed to give the fullest information, but the members of the deputaticn had got none. The tabular reports which used to be published in the Courier had ceased to appear, and in .their place small paragraphs were given containing such information .as had been got from the department. Then, again, great and unnecessary delays had taken place in the construction of lines. Three or four years ago a sum of money­he thought £16,000 -was voted for the ex­tension of the line from Blackall to Aramac, but that line was not completed yet. It was first said that the department had not sufficient wire; but i£ it had taken four years to get a sufficient supply of wire :for 120 or 130 miles of line, great departmental neglect was evident. Judging from the present Estimates, it seemed that the line was not likely to be opened for some months. The tract o£ country to be

1280 Supp~y. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply ..

traversed was as easy for the purpose as any in the colony, yet from want of energy or neglect it had been a most unnecessarily long time in course of con­struction. After the greatest difficulty the Superintendent had been induced to put on two officers at the terminals of the line-Cunnamulla and Blackall. For months honourable members had been trying to get this done, and the Superinten­dent had, by passive resistance, carried his own way up to within the last month or two against any Minister who had attempted to exercise any control. The complaints about the officer at Blackall were innumer­able. Within the last few months he had found on inquiry that the honourable mem­ber for Maranoa had never received a tele­gram which had been sent to him ; and that was only one instance out of fifty that had been brought before Ministers. Another matter he wished to bring under the notice of the Postmaster-Genf'ral was the advis­ability, or almost necessity, of stamps being issued for the transmiss10n oftelegrams. In many cases it was necessary either to travel two or three hundred miles to send a tele­gram, or send it in by a messenger and get somebody to pay for it. It seemed a per­fectly simple matter to adopt the principle in operation in New South Wales, where persons had only to put the telegram in an envelope, stamp it, and send it to the tele­graph office by post. I£ some such system were adopted, the telegraphic receipts would be largely increased.

Mr. HALY said he could corroborate the remarks of the honourable member for the Mitchell, but he thought that the post­master at Blackall had more than he could do ; and, therefore, though he had suffered great inconvenience, he would say nothing against that officer. It was a great shame that an officer should be placed in a dis­trict where flour was ls. per pound, and all other necessities of life equally dear, with­out being paid anything extra. People had actually to ride three or four hundred miles to send telegrams, and if the system of stamps were adopted, telegraphic communi­cation would be facilitated, and the busi­ness done largely increased.

The PREMIER said there was no doubt the system of paying telegraphic messages by means of stamps ought to be adopted as soon as possibie. With regard to the complaints which had been made with re­gard to the Telegraphic department, he sub­mitted to the committee that, considering the very large mileage of wire, the Tele­graph department was admirably con­ducted. The honourable member for the W arrego had made a complaint not long ago, of which he (the Premier) was able to dispose of satisfactorily ; and he believed that many other complaints would be dis­posed of equally satisfactorily, if they were inquired into. When they considered

that, on an average, 1,800 messagM were delivered daily, and considered also the fewness of the complaints­for they were but few-it must be admitted that the service, on the whole, was admirably conducted. There was now between 7,000 and 8,000 miles of wire in operation-a greater mileage than · in Soutli Australia, Victoria, or New Zealand ; and, considering the great diffi­culties of carrying out a telegraphic system in a sparsely peopled country, they might congratulate themselves on having an admir­ably conducted service. Though complaints would be made at times, the department, on the whole, was efficiently managed. That was no reason, however, why the latest reforms and the best systems should not be adopted, and he hoped the stamp system would be soon carried into effect.

Mr. PALMER said he was not going to complain about the Telegraph department He got his telegrams regularly, but had heard complaints made at times. The stamp system might have been adopted a long time ago, as he had mooted the sub­ject and shown specimens of the stamps three years ago. In the country districts the greatest difficulty was experienced in sending telegrams, and he had found the only way was to keep a sum deposited in the hands of the telegraph masters at Springsure and Clermont, and draw upon it as required. That was, however, very incon­venient, and a. man travelling could not leave a deposit in the hands of the station master. The system of stamps was very simple and could be brought into opera­tion within a week. The stamps were perforated, and one half was retained by the sender as a receipt, and the the other half was affixed to the telegram. He also wished to call the attention of the Secretary for Works to the promise he made to the House last night, that he would lay the letter of Mr. Ballard on the table this morning, which promise had not been fulfilled. Since last night he (Mr. J:'almer) had received further information on the subject, and was in a position to state that the Secretary for Works was not posted up in the information of his owa department. He had positive in­formation from a gentleman at Rock­hampton that Mr. Ballard had written to the Government, stating that, in con­sequence of ill-health, anxiety, and the necessity for change of air, he.was pre­pared to undertake the constructiOn of the Charters Towers line on the Government's own terms. Honourable members were told positively last night that no such letter was received. He thought the least the Secret.ary for Works could have done would have been to fulfil his promise ; and he should insist upon having the whole of the correspondence between Mr. Ballard and the department.

Supply. [30 AuGusT.] Supply. 1281

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said it was the intention of the Postmaster-General to try the stamp system, and instructions had b~en given for the preparation of designs of stamps. The reason it had not been tried earlier was, that the department were desi­rous of testing the working of the system in New South Wales, where, however, it had not been a great success. The system would be tried in this colony, and would probably come into operation within a few months. \Vith regard to the telegraph wire to Aramac, he was informed that this would be open within two months. It had been pushed· on with all expedition. In reply to the statement of the honourable member for Lcichharclt, as to the cost of living at such out-stations as Blackall, he might inform honourable members tha.t a special allowance was granted to the officers in consequence ; and the telegraph master at Blackall was postmaster as well. 'l'here were at one time, no doubt, complaints of the manner in which the business was clone at Blackall; but the officer complained of had been superseded by a man of experience, and it wa.s not probable any further irre­gularity would occur.

Mr. HALY wished it to be understood that he made no complaint of the officer at present in char~e.

Mr. MclLwRAITH Raid he did not wish to prolong the debate, but must express his opinion decidedly against the Premier's high eulogium of the manner in which the Telegraph department was worked. His (Mr. Mcilwruith's) experience was that it was one of the worst managed departments in the public service, and if no complaints had been made it was not because there were no reasons for them. The delay regarding the carrying of the telegraph wire into the interior reflected great discredit upon the department; the money had been voted for some time, and any delay must be attributed either to the Government or the head of the department. The Superin­tendent recommended that the colony shouM be divided into two portions, and, while the rates inside each portion should remain the same as at present, the rates from one portion to the other were to be doubled. Had the Government any inten­tion of carrying out such an extraordinary recommendation P It was about the worst ever made by a practical man, and stamped the person who made it as unfit for the responsibilities of the position.

The PREMIER said he could not agree with this stricture upon the head of the Tele­graph department. Such an official might very naturally look upon the proceeds as a very serious consideration, but politically the Government might not do so, preferring to ensure rapid and universal communiea­tion in the int-erests of the public. How­ever much the Superintendent, therefore, might be justified in making this recom­mendation froni a financial point of view,

there was no intention on the part of the Government at the present time of adopt­ing that recommendation. There were sound political reasons for the contrary ; they spent large sums of money for postal and telrgraph c-ommunication, which di­rectly yielded no returns, but which was indirectly of the utmost importance for the comfort and welfare of the people.

The MINISTER FOR vVoRKS, in reply to the honourable member for Port Curtis, stated that the correspondence respecting the engineer of the Northern line had not been laid upon the table because there had been no time to copy it. As soon as pos­sible, however, the whole of the corres­pondence would be produced.

Mr. PALMER repeated the statement he had previously made, and added that lw had no objection to say that his informant was Mr. Buzacott. If the MinistE'r for \Vorks had not seen Mr. Ballard's letter, there was something radically wrong in the department.

Mr. MoREHEAD said that while on this vote he would refer to the great objection that had been raised against telegraph­office masters holding the additional ap­pointment of postmasters. For himself, he did not ~ee the slightest difficulty in the matter, and thought that in appointing one man to do the work of two. it would be a very proper way of increasii1g the salaries of underpaid officers. It was strange that Mr. Crarknell should have such a prejudice against this arrangement, when in one of the most important offices, that of Black<tll, which returned a revenue of £700 a-year, the system was in work. He considered that if the Superintendent could work the two offices together in one place, he could do it in any other place.

Mr. \V ALSH was understood to say that the TelPgraph department was more espe­cially liable to give offence than almost any other. He himself could not join in fault-finding. In such an office the head of the department should have the nomina­tion of all the officers, and men and boys -brought in by political infl.uenctJ-should not be employed ; he should like to see the whole onus of the appointments made thrown upon the head of the office, and then they would not find men called upon to perform the duties who were not suited to the business. vVith regard to the matter mentioned by the Premier, namely, that he had complained that a telegram sent to him on the 30th Julv did not reach him until the 31st July, he might state that it was sent to him from 'l'oowoomb<t to his town address, but did not reach him till the next day. He called attention to the matter, and ·next- day he got a memo­randum to show that it was sent to the address that was left.

Mr. STEVENSON said there was one other matter that he would point out to the Gov­ernment, and it was a work that could be

1282 Question. [ASSEMBLY.]

carried out very cheaply. He alluded to the establishment of direct telegraphic communication with Rockhampton between Springsure and Clermont, which now went by way of N ebo and Mackay. Only some eighteen miles of wire would be required, which could be carried on poles across to the present lines. This would give both places direct communication.

Mr. MACROSSAN asked the Premier if the Ministry had come to any determination as to the telegraphic line to Hughenden? Was it to go from Aramac or Charters Towers ?

The PREMIER said no determination had been arrived at. Information was now be­ing obtained in reference to the matter, and it was submitted by the Postmaster­General to the Superintendent of the depart­ment. A decision must be arrived at soon.

Mr. PALMER said it was the same with all the Superintendents in the colonies ; they were all anxious to find out how to make the lines pay. That was not the duty of the Government. These lines paid ten times their cost indirectly, if only in arrangement of police. The Government ought not to back up the Superintendent in his endeavour to show that the lines would give a. money return, which was what they were always trying to do. As to the remuneration paid, the telegraph officers were not half paid, and in the outside districts they got a bare living. '!.'his was a disgraceful state of things.

Mr. STEVENSON said, before the vote was put, he should like to know from the Trea­surer if he would bring the matter he had called attention to before his colleague the Postmaster-General. As he had already stated, direct communication existed within eighteen miles of the line which connected Clermont and Sprmgsure.

The CoLONIAL TREASURER said the work would cost £1,800 or £2,000, and there was no provision for such a work on the Esti­mates. However, the matter should be represented to the Postmaster-General.

Question put and passed. On the motion of the CoLONIAL TREA­

SURER, the CHAIRMAN reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again on Tuesday.

The House adjourned at a quarter to 1 o'clock until Tuesday next.

Supply.